Nikki’s Health & Fitness Journey

Well, hello there and welcome to Weight Loss Cupcakes! While the name is admittedly quite appetizing, it’s also a little misleading if you’re looking for a foolproof way to get fit. The (sad) reality is that there really is no “easy” way. In fact, it can be a lot of trial and error. Everyone’s bodies are different, as are most people’s fitness goals. That’s why we decided to start this community. For people like us. For people like YOU. Weight Loss Cupcakes isn’t just about fitness. It’s about finding your way to a healthier lifestyle and sharing your stories throughout your journey.

Myself and my business partner, Duane, have quite different stories. You can find the Cliff’s Notes version of how we decided to work together here. In the meantime, here’s a little bit about me. I am a thirty-one year old female. Prior to college, I was a lifelong athlete. I played basketball and soccer year-round for many years – and even in my worst shape, I was in overall tremendous health. It was virtually impossible not to be since I was spending almost every day burning twice the calories I could even consume. Of course, that’s also the blessing of being sixteen and having an extraordinary metabolism.

But towards the end of my senior year of high school, when I wasn’t committed to a sport full-time, I started to see some changes in my body that I didn’t like. I was losing muscle tone and just feeling disgusting compared to my constantly active former self. The truth is, I had a really hard time with that transformation. It was seemingly minor looking back on it, but at the time it was devastating. Then again, hindsight is 20/20.

Anyway, I went on to college with the grand plan to stay just as physically and academically active as I was my entire life leading up until then. What I didn’t account for was the fact that my ‘straight-edge’ nature in high school would translate into me wanting to explore the freedom of campus life. By most standards, even my wild and crazy college days were probably relatively tame. To my surprise, I could handle my liquor better than I anticipated, which only made me want to drink more. And what happened when I drank more? I wanted to eat more. Why? Because I could. At this point my life it wasn’t stress related. It was liberating. I could do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted and I didn’t have to wake up at 6am to go to practice. I was living my truth.

As my freshman year carried on, I recall coming home for Christmas and seeing a handful of my high school friends. I was amazed at how much weight some of them had gained. I thought I looked good. It turns out, I was just living in denial of my own horrendous weight gain. Freshman fifteen? I WISH. Try freshman forty. Yep, that’s right. 4-0. Forty.

My going weight through most of high school was about 125-135 lbs depending on the season. Those were numbers I could wrap my head around. It wasn’t until I tipped the scale at about 170 lbs that I realized I had to make some changes.

In a whirlwind of panic I took the easy (read: stupid) way out. I didn’t want to stop eating or drinking. I just wanted to stop feeling bad about it. So I started binge eating…then purging. Just typing that now makes me feel ashamed. But what I came to realize was that this method was terrifyingly common by young women who were in the same boat. It doesn’t make it acceptable and it certainly doesn’t make it wise.

We’ve been conditioned to think our bodies are never good enough. Even the women we idolize for being unbelievably fit restrict themselves, sometimes to the point of physical trauma. Whether it’s over-eating, over-working out or not eating at all, there are a myriad of hard and fast ways to shed weight…or at least give the illusion of it.

Therefore, as a female impacted by the expectations of society (coupled with my own insecurities), my goal is to help create an environment where like-minded individuals can relate and express themselves in a safe place, free of judgment.

I will personally be experimenting with various concepts of healthy eating and working out, as well as practicing mindfulness. After all, a healthy mind is just as important as a healthy body. So, please consider this your invitation to join us as we each build our personal path to success.